Discoverers
Welcome Back Discoverers' Class
I hope that you have all enjoyed your summer holidays and are ready for the busy and exciting term we have ahead. This term Discoverer's will be travelling back in time to the Stone Age. As we journey back to this primitive age we will look at the people and animals that lived during this time, their dwellings and the things they did and made. I have 'hunted and gathered' for some fun activities for us to do over the next few weeks, which will ROCK your world!
Mr Twit's potion for the 'Dreaded Shrinks'
Today in maths Discoverer's class were sent a video message from Mr Twit with a special task linked to the capacity work they have been doing all week
Making our own scarecrows to protect our growing salad and vegetables.
This week we have been making our own wormeries
A Wormery is a simple, clean and efficient way of turning ordinary organic kitchen waste into nutrient rich liquid plant feed and excellent organic compost. Essentially through the action of a colony of composting worms the waste is neutralised and 'speedily' processed into compost, The children have really enjoyed studying worms this week and finding out how useful they are. We will be observing what is happening in out wormeries over the next couple of weeks and recording our findings in our science books.
Discoverer's Wormeries
Here are some of the fantastic Titanic models that the children have made at home off the homework grid.
Titanic
Discoverers are very excited about their new topic - The Titanic and have been busy finding out lots of facts about the infamous ship. We will become history detectives and try to find out who really was responsible for sinking the unsinkable ship.
Chinese Celebration Day
To mark the end of our topic on Ancient China and Dragons, Discoverers class invited their parents into class for the afternoon to share with them some of the things they have been doing over the last half term. We had an amazing time and would also live to thank all the parents, grandparents and carers who came in to celebrate with us.
We sang 2 of the song that we have been learning with Mrs Purser in music - 'The Dragon Song' and 'Puff the Magic Dradon'
We performed some of the talk for writing we had done. One was from when we were writing a set of instruction - How to lure a fire dragon and the other was for a description about our own made up dragons.
We then performed the Chinese Dragon Dance that we had done in PE.
Parents, Grandparents and carers joined the children to take part in a scavenger hunt all about Chinese New Year. The competition was on! I don't know who was more competitive the children or the adults!!
Chopstick Challenge
The children all took part in a chopstick challenge. I was very impressed with how well they all did.
We ended the afternoon with the children using their chopsticks to sample some Chinese noodles. We were also lucky enough for a Chinese take-away to donate lots of prawn crackers and fortune cookies for everyone to try. We all had a fantastic afternoon!
Science Week
In Discoverers class we have been reading the book 'The Snow Dragon' by Vivian French. Following on from this book about a world divided into two - the North and the South. The southern half is ruled by evil Fire Dragons and the north is controlled by peace-loving Snow Dragons. In between the two halves live the Twolegs people. A special book known simply as 'Book' contains a set of instructions on how the world works. The Fire Dragons get hold of Book and cause 'The Happening', which destroys the land and forces the Twolegs to live underground to protect themselves from the Fire Dragons. However, a little Twoleg boy called Tuft joins forces with a Snow Dragon to save the world from the Fire Dragons by entering their volcano. This book then inspired us to create our own volcanoes. In groups the children designed their volcano which had to be made out of natural materials. They then made a bases for their volcanoes out of salt dough.
We used our designs to create our volcanoes using natural materials.
The Volcanoes Erupted
We added the vinegar, baking soda and red food colouring to the bottle that was inside our volcanoes. We then waited to see what would happen. We were very excited to see that our volcanoes erupted!! We then found out that this was caused by a chemical reaction between the vinegar and the baking soda. When they mix together they create a gas called carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the same type of gas used to make fizzy drinks fizzy, We then considered and discussed this question - What happens if you shake a fizzy drink? The gas gets very excited and tries to spread out. There is not enough room in the bottle for the gas to spread out so it leaves the opening very quickly causing an eruption!
The Stations of the Cross
In Re with Mrs Purser this term we have been learning all about Easter and Easter symbols. To complete this unit of work the children were each given one of the stations of the cross and an area of the school grounds to read out their part. The children then walked around all of the stations listening to each other read out the different parts of the Easter story. Here are some of the clips of the children reading at their station.
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Terracotta Army
Today we have be learning all about the Terracotta Army, the buried army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. We then made our own Terracotta warriors out of clay adding individual details to them just like the ancient sculptures. The children's creations are amazing and almost as impressive as the real thing!
Our science lesson this week was intercepted by an alien from Dock 5 called Zinnia. She wants to set up a hotel on her planet for humans to go and visit their planet. She has heard that a lot of human foods come from plants and would like us to investigate what plants need in order to grow strong and healthy and she would also like us to find out about the different parts of a plant that we eat.We have set up an investigation to see how important certain factors are for growing a healthy plant. Each group is looking at a different factor. They are investigating light, water, air, space, warmth and soil and how if they change the amount of this factor the plant gets will it effect the plants growth. This will help Zinnia to see if they have the correct requirements to grow plants on Dock 5.
We looked at various plant foods to identify the part of the plant that we eat, for example celery is the stem, cauliflower is the flower, parsnip is the root, kale is the leaves, sweetcorn in the seed. We then made a plant out of the food and labelled it.
We have made a Chinese dragon so that we can perform our own dragon dances in PE.
We came into the classroom today to find that the dragon had laid a black speckled egg and left behind what looked like shiny green dragon scales or skin. We are now looking after the dragon egg in the hope that it will hatch. Watch this space.....
Mrs Worsley interupted our lesson today to tell us that there had been some BREAKING NEWS. Dragons have been sighted in Louisville, USA. We watched the news clip and were shocked at what we saw. As expert Dragonologists we know not to fear the dragons and do them no harm. We need to be couragious and brave and record all of our findings in our Dragon evidence books. We have left some jewels in our classroom tonight in the hope that we can lure a dragon here.
This morning when we came into the classroom we found some strange things. The chairs were knocked over, the windows were wide open and there was a strange circle made out of rocks in the corner. In addition to this most of the jewels that we had left had disappeared with only a few of them in the middle of the stone circle. The children think that the stone circle is perhaps a dragon nest. Mrs Hunter also told us that when she arrived this morning some of the slates had come off the roof and that she had called workmen in to fix it. The workmen informed Mrs Worsley that they had found strange scratch marks and scorch marks on the roof.
Welcome back Discoverers Class
We have lots of fun things planned this term. Our topic is 'Here be Dragons'. We will become expert Dragonologists and also learn about Ancient China. Watch this Space.....
We have continued this term to study the artist LS Lowry. Our artwork has built up over a number of weeks. We have looked at primary and secondary colours as Lowry only used primary colours and black and white in his paintings. We have practised the skills of drawing terraced houses, churches and factories using a ruler in the style of Lowry and finally made print blocks based on a photograph of ourselves in a Lowery-esque pose. Here are some of our finished masterpieces.
In PE Discoverers have been doing hockey. They have enjoyed learning the skills then putting what they have learnt in practice during real games.
In science this term we have been learning all about Light and Shadows. We have been discovering through active investigation that without light you cannot see and that dark is the absence of light. We have also learnt through investigation that light travels in straight lines and looked more closely at the nature of white light through a number of practical activities.
Owl Pellet Investigation
We looked around our local area to see if we could find any evidence of nocturnal animals. We found out that there must be an owl living at our church - St John's Thornham. There was lots of evidence of owl pellets on the steps. Mrs Powell kindly brought us some samples into class so that we could see what was inside an owl pellet. After researching owls we had found out that owls don't have any teeth so they swallow their food whole! Therefore they can't digest the bones,teeth and fur of their prey. These “extra” parts are formed into a tight PELLET inside the owl and are then are later SPIT UP by the owl.
Inside the owl pellets that we looked at we found tiny teeth,bones and fur. The children were amazed to discover this.
Fun in the snow
While the World is Sleeping
On Tuesday night as part of our new night time topic Discoverers came back to school at night wearing their pyjamas. We all brought a teddy, a torch and a mug to help us with the activities that Mrs Howarth had planned. We learnt all about nocturnal animals. First we played a game where we had to guess the nocturnal animal sounds. Then we went on a scavenger hunt looking for nocturnal animal facts with only our torches to light the way. When the children entered the hall they couldn't believe their eyes! There was a hug inflatable planetarium waiting for them. We all went inside to learn more about night time before snuggling up with a hot chocolate and biscuits whilst they listened to a bedtime story - "While the World is Sleeping". We all had a fantastic time and enjoyed seeing what school was like in the evening.
Our Night time adventure at school
What we have found out about Christmas in Spain
In Discoverers Class we have learnt all about Christmas in Spain – ‘Navidad En Espagne’. We found out that in Spain as well as Christmas day, there is another festival that is celebrated that is about the Christmas Story. It is called Epiphany and is celebrated on 6th January. In Spanish, Epiphany is called Los Reyes de Magos': in English this means 'The festival of the three Kings’. Epiphany celebrates when the Kings or Wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus. Children receive some presents on Christmas Day from Father Christmas, but most are received at Epiphany, when the Kings bring presents.
"Roscon de Reyes" is a traditional dessert, served the night before or morning of “Los Reyes” It is traditional to put several surprises inside the "roscon." In class we made our own Roscon and ate it in the traditional way dipped in a thick hot chocolate. It was delicious!
We also found out about another Spanish tradition. 'Tio Navidad'. In a region of Spain called Catalunya the children are given a decorated log with a blanket. They receive the log on the 8th December then have to look after it like a pet until Christmas Eve.
We designed and made our own Tio Navidad. On Christmas Eve the children tap the log in the hope that their tio Navidad will deliver them sweets under its blanket. I wonder if ours will work?
Rochdale Fire Museum
Discoverers class had a great time at Rochdale Fire museum thanks to Bob and his team of volunteers. We took part in a Great Fire of London workshop to start with then had a tour of the museum. The children were able to see historic fire engines and learn about fire fighting in Manchester throughout history. They had a very hands on experience, being able to hand pump some of the old fire engines, try helmets and fire fighting equipment on and some even got to try to slide down a replica fire pole.
Rochdale Fire Museum
Discoverers Class Assembly
The children performed their story of the Great Fire of London through drama and song. They were fantastic and I hope you all enjoyed the performance especially the bacon/sausage sandwiches afterwards!
Our Assembly
Our Amazing Tudor Houses!
On Monday we had a great DT day making Tudor houses. The children used the TASC wheel to design, make and evaluate their model. There was glue, cello-tape, paper, boxes and straw everywhere but our finished products were fantastic! They are now ready for us to make our very own Pudding Lane. Will ours set on fire? Watch this space...
Making our Tudor Houses
A Fantastic introduction to our new topic - The Great Fire of London
We had a special visit from Katherine, a maid from 1666, She brought our topic alive by bringing in artefacts that the children could touch and study from this period. The children became archaeological detectives finding out what the things were used for in everyday life. They were able to handle investigate and draw the artefacts and even got to write with a real quill and ink.
The Great Fire of London
Our Trip To Blackpool Zoo
It was fantastic to meet our adopted tiger Alyona at last! Her stripes were no longer green and she was relaxing in the sun in her enclosure. We gave the zookeeper our healthy eating plates and she was going to give them to Alyona to show her at feeding time. Our name will go on the adoption plaque and the zoo will keep us updated of her progress. We also get an educational visit from the zookeepers at school which we will do in the Spring Term. Thank you to all the children and parents who donated money to our adoption fund. Perhaps you will go to the zoo to visit her and see our plaque too.
Lunch at the Zoo
We enjoyed our lunch at the zoo whilst watching the seal ion show. They performed lots of tricks and entertained us whilst we ate. We did have a few unwelcome visitors though. 
The seagulls were extremely tempted by our sandwiches and tried to pinch them which was very funny. We had to get Mrs Hill to be on seagull patrol!
Wow what an amazing day! Discoverer's class had a fantastic time on their trip to Blackpool zoo we got to see lots of fantastic animals.
Our Trip to Blackpool Zoo
Adopt the tiger Fund Raising Day
Adopt the tiger fund raising day.
Thank you to all parents who came to join us for our forest school activities today followed by the tasting of our delicious homemade tomato soup. The children had a great afternoon and enjoyed having lots of parents joining them. We raised £100.00 towards adopting Alyona our tiger.
We received an email from the zoo keeper saying that Alyona was trapped in one of our traps and that they had transported her safely back to the zoo on Friday 21st September. Unfortunately she was quite poorly and her stripes had turned green! The zoo keeper thinks this is because of all the unhealthy food she ate at our school. They have given her lots of medicine and expect her to make a full recovery. She has set us a task. She would like us to find out about how to stay healthy so that we can educate Alyona. She would like us to go to Blackpool zoo to relay our information. I also think it would be a great idea if we could adopt Alyona so that we can look after her properly and take care of her.
Our creative and very individual traps made out of natural materials
The children made humane traps to help the zoo keeper catch Alyona and take her safely back to Blackpool Zoo. We are waiting for the zoo keeper to let us know if our traps have worked. We hope she is safe and well and that we managed to help.
Evidence of Alyona the tiger in the woods
On our trip to Hopwood woods on Wednesday we found lots of evidence that the escaped tiger Alyona was close by. We think that she must be hiding somewhere in the woods. We saw tiger paw prints on the ground and lots of orange and black fur. Where is she? What can we do to help?
Zoo Keeper Visits Discoverer's Class
On Tuesday a zoo keeper from Blackpool Zoo came to Discoverer's Class. She was concerned as a tiger called Alyona had escaped from the zoo! She had heard that there had been some sightings in the area and wanted to know if the children had seen anything. The children told the zoo keeper about the strange happenings in our classroom and that they thought it had been a tiger. The zoo keeper got extremely worried when the children informed her about what the tiger had eaten. So she asked the children to help her by making some Lost posters to put up around school. The children also told the zoo keeper about their visit to Hopwood woods this week and they thought this could be where Alyona was hiding. They then suggested that they could help her further by making some traps. Let's hope she can catch Alyona and return her to the zoo before her stripes turn green!
Mysterious visitor in Discoverer's Classroom
This morning we discovered some strange things in Discoverer's classroom. There had been a mysterious visitor overnight! We found lots of muddy paw prints outside leading to our classroom and even more inside (even on the sink). We also found evidence of orange and black fur on the tables and whoever it was had made a complete mess of our room. Chairs were tipped over, tables had been moved and there was rubbish everywhere. When we took a closer look we realised that whatever had been in the room had eaten lots of cakes, crisps, pizzas, ice-cream and biscuits and left all the empty packets on the floor. What's more it had drank orange juice, milk, beer and there was no water left in the taps!!! Mrs Robertson also told us that she had seen an orange shadow moving in the bushes. We think that a tiger has paid us a visit but where is he now and where has he come from?
Fruity Friday
As part of our healthy eating topic this term we are taking part in 'Fruity Fridays'. This involves the children tasting different fruits each Friday. This week we tasted pineapple and used our senses to describe what it tasted like, smelt like, felt like and looked like. We also looked at where in the world pineapples come from. Discoverers are looking forward to trying lots more exotic fruits over the coming weeks. I wonder which ones will be their favorites?
Our First Swimming Lesson
Wow what a fantastic first swimming lesson today! I was extremely impressed and proud of all the children in Discoverers class. This morning we had a few nervous children but all I could see during the lesson were happy smiling faces. The instructors at Castleton Swimming Baths were great with all of the children and quickly made them feel relaxed putting them into groups to suit their ability. The instructors were also all in the water with them helping them with their strokes and encouraging them all of the time. It was lovely to see the children's enjoyment and enthusiasm. I can't wait to see their improvement and confidence grow as the weeks go on.
A warm welcome to all Discoverers
Mrs Howarth, Mrs Williams and Mrs Witts hope that you have all had a great summer. It has been lovely to see all of your smiley faces in the last couple of days full of excitement for the year ahead. We can’t believe how much some of you have grown over the holidays. We are all looking forward to the fun things we have planned for this year and seeing your minds grow too!
Our first topic this half term will be based on the book ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’. We will be looking at healthy eating, how to stay healthy and where our food comes from. We will be studying an Italian artist called Giuseppe Arcimboldo who is best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of fruits and vegetables. I hope we can create some amazing ones ourselves!! We will be tantalising our taste buds by trying some exotic fruits on ‘Fruity Fridays’ and we are going to adopt our very own tiger at the zoo then pay him a visit later on in the term.
So get ready for an action packed half term full of exciting activities and remember always try your best and never give up . If you do this you will get off to a 'Roaring' start in Discoverers Class.
Look at our newly decorated classroom with new furniture ready for our new Discoverers
CHOCOLATIER VISIT FOR DISCOVERERS
As part of their ‘From Bean to Bar’ topic Discoverers had a visit from a real Chocolatier. Oliver came into school to talk to the children about how chocolate starts as a bean and the process it goes through to end up as tasty chocolate. The children learnt lots of new language reated to the process including- tempering, winowing, nibs harvesting and fermenting. The children had fun turning the melted chocolate into different shaped chocolates adding detail by piping different coloured melted chococolate through a piping bag. They took their chocolate home to enjoy!
Discoverers Class had a lovely time on their visit to Hopwood Woods on Wednesday. They enjoyed cooking sausages for lunch and marshmallows as a treat. They learnt how to pitch tents and set up a base camp.
They took part in a Treasure Hunt and made some shelters with natural materials. They all had a wonderful time!
Wow- what an amazing performance using the African Drums! You all performed brilliantly and spoke clearly and confidently about what you have been learning!
A fantastic show Scrundiddlyumptious- you all took on different characters from the story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! You learnt your lines brilliantly and sang your hearts out- you all had a smile on your face from the beginning to the end!
